2011 Women's Major Softball
National Championship
August 4-7, Stratford, CT
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St. Louis Defeats New York to Gain WMS Final Sunday, August 7, Game 19 - The St. Louis Saints staged yet another come-from-behind win at the 3rd Annual Women’s Major Softball National Championships on Sunday, eliminating the New York Raiders with an 8-3 win in the loser’s bracket final to reach their second straight WMS title game. The Raiders earned a spot in the contest by surviving a 1-0 decision over the NYC Havoc in the first game played on Sunday. The Saints dropped into the matchup after losing 8-0 to the Stratford Brakettes in Saturday night’s winner’s bracket final. Fueled by three home runs, the Saints erased a 2-0 deficit in the fourth inning and never looked back.  Amanda Zust earned the win with a four-hitter, going the distance for St. Louis. Zust struck out three Raiders, while giving up three walks.Ashley Rampino went the distance for the Raiders and held the Saints scoreless for the first three innings, while the Raiders’ bats gave New York the early lead. The Raiders scored the game’s first run in the top of the second, after Jaci Rahey led off with a walk. Katy May-Hill reached on a single and was pinch-run for by Jess Rosin. Rahey advanced to second on the base hit. Crystal Vargas sacrificed both runners up a bag, putting two in scoring position. Rampino then earned a walk to load the bases. Jen Martinez lofted a sac fly to score Rahey for a 1-0 lead, but the Raiders were retired without scoring another run. Jen Keller gave the Raiders another run to work with a homer in the top of the third with two outs. The shot put New York up 2-0, as Rampino continued to quiet the Saints. St. Louis had chances to score in the first three innings, but stranded a runner at third in each frame. The Saints’ bats finally awoke in the bottom of the fourth, putting three runs on the board to take the lead. Brittney Fisher started the rally with a one-out solo shot, closing the gap to 2-1. Fisher was one of two Saints with three hits in the game, along with Ashley Hall. Fisher added a ground-rule double in the second inning and a sixth-inning single to her credits. Kelsey Harrison followed and walked to continue the momentum, before Jenna Wood and Amanda Zust singled to load the bases. Ashley Hall drove in Harrison with her second base hit of the game, tying up the affair at 2-2. Chelsey Carmody then earned a walk to force in a run, putting St. Louis up 3-2. The Saints added two more runs in the fifth to give Zust some insurance. Zoe Sinner led off with a single, but was forced out at second on a grounder by Fisher. With one out, Jenna Wood came through in the clutch, drilling a two-run homer for a 5-2 cushion. The veteran New York squad did not go away easily, as they clawed back for a score in the top of the sixth. Jen Pawol doubled while leading off the sixth inning and scored on a single by Rampino. The run brought the Raiders to within 5-3, but the Raiders could not muster any more offense. The Saints left little doubt about the outcome with a three-run sixth inning, started by Hall’s third base hit. Rachael West also pitched in with a single, putting two on with no one out. After a groundout, Amanda Clack delivered the knockout punch, a three-run homer to put St. Louis out of reach, 8-3. Zust retired the side in the top of the seventh to secure the win, her second of the WMS National Championships. The Saints advanced to the WMS Championship Game for the second straight year with the win, while the Raiders were eliminated from the tournament. The New York Raiders finished 3rd in the 11-team WMS National Championships, the highest finish ever for the Raiders at a national tournament. |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |||||
| RAIDERS | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | ||||
| SAINTS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | x | 8 | 13 | 2 | ||||
| Batteries: Raiders- Ashley Rampino (L) and Crystal Vargas; Saints- Amanda Zust (W) and Brittney Fisher Homeruns: Raiders- Jenn Keller; Saints- Brittney Fisher, Jenna Wood, Amanda Clack | ||||||||||||||
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